Bhopal: It took 11 years for Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to decide a ban on mechanised mining from rivers after the Union government had disallowed mining of sand by any means other than manual in 2006. The Government of India’s forests and environment ministry had banned use of machines for extracting sand from river beds way back in 2006 by amending the provisions regarding environmental clearance for mining projects. Reacting to the state government’s interim ban order on mining issued on Monday, social activist Vinayak Parihar said the CM should explain why the state government waited for 11 long years to act on the GoI order, as mechanised mining continued unabated in river beds during this period, taking a toll on environment beyond repair.
The leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Ajay Singh also flayed the government on this count saying “When prohibition of mechanised farming has been included in the mandatory conditions for grant of environmental clearance, why was the ban not implemented earlier.” Meanwhile, it seems to be a difficult job for the government to impose a complete ban on mining from the Narmada, as about 84 companies and individuals have been granted lease for mining sand from the river. Though separate notices are being issued to each of the lease holders by the state mining corporation to address the situation, the notices are not toeing the line of the Chief Minister’s announcement.
While the CM announced that a committee of experts will study the issue and determine the quantum of sand that can be extracted from the Narmada without harming the environment and till then, mining would not be allowed from the river, the notices informed the leaseholders that their lease had been suspended and also asked the parties to explain why their lease should not be cancelled within 15 days. The notices neither referred to any expert opinion nor said that the companies were involved in anything illegal. It would be difficult for the government to cancel the leases on the basis of such notices. Parihar further claimed that while the government was getting the study done by the IIT, Kharagpur, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), a government agency, was already mandated with this work. He said that the government’s decision would only earn brownie points for the government itself and it does not seem to be genuinely interested in conservation of rivers.
